Improvement i-n portable fire-escapes



GEORGE D. MCCULLEN. ImprovementrIcPortabIe Fire Escape. 121,796.

Paented Dec.12,1871.

tturweg UNITED STATES GEORGE MOGULLEN, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE FIRE-ESCAPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,796, dated December 12, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. McGULLEN, of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Portable Fire-Escape; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawing forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side view of my improved fire-es cape, parts being broken away to show the construction. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the car or chair.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention has for its object to furnish an improved iire-escape, for the removal of women, children7 and other feeble and timid persons from the building, and which shall be simple in construetion, inexpensive in manufacture, convenient, safe and reliable in use, and shall be so constructed that it may be conveniently kept in the house and moved from place to place with the same facility as any other piece of furniture; and it consists in the construction and combination of the various parts of the apparatus, as hereinafter more fully described.

A represents a box, which is made of such a size as to receive the car or chair. The box A should be mounted upon casters so that it maybe conveniently moved from one part of the room to another, and should be weighted or ballasted with lead, iron, or other heavy material to hold it securely in place when in use. B is the cover ofthe box A, which is firmly hinged at one of its end edges to the said box A, and is turned back to project from a window and rest upon the lower part of the window-frame when the apparatus is to be used. The cover B has rollers C D attached to the outer and inner parts of its under side for the lowering and hoisting rope to pass over. E is a roller attached to the box A to receive the said rope. F is the car, which is made of such a size as to receive one or more persons, and in about the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2 that is to say, with its front, sides, bottom, and the lower part of its rear inclosed, the top and upper part of its rear being left open. The interior of the car or chair F should be provided with a seat, j", for the convenience of the person or persons being lowered, and may also be provided with one or more short staves, iinished like a boathook, to enable the said person or persons to push the said car or chair back from the wall while being lowered. The rear edge of the sides of the car or chair are also recessed, as shown in Fig. 2, for convenience in passing over cornices, the edges of awnings, &c. The chair or car F may be made of wood or iron. When made of wood it should be provided with a frame-work of metallic bands or straps to strengthen it, as shown in Figs. l and 2. To the lower part of the rear side of the car or chair F is attached an axle, G, upon the journals of which are placed wheels H. With the axle G, by means of flexible or jointed connections I, are connected the axles J K, upon the journals of which are placed the wheels LM. The connections I are made of such a length that the axle K may be opposite the upper part of the rear side of the car or chair F. The axles J, two or more, are arranged between the axles G K, and opposite the recess in the said chair or car F. The wheels M are made ofthe same size as the wheels H, so as to hold the chair or car F vertical when passing down a vertical wall. The wheels L are made smaller than the wheels H to enable the car or chair F to pass over cornices, the edges of awnings, &c., more steadily and with a more gradual change of position than would be possible if the wheels were all made of one size. To the axle K and to the upper end of the car or chair F are attached bails or chains N O to receive the rope P, by which the chair or car is lowered and raised. The rope or chain P may be connected directly with the bails N O or by means of rollers or pulleys attached to said bails. The rope or chain P is so connected with the bails N O that when the said rope or chain P is slackened the wheels and axles L M J K will drop to the ground, uncovering the open upper part of the rear side of the car or chair F, allowing the occupants to pass in and out conveniently. The rope or chain P passes over the rollers C D and makes one or more turns around the roller E, and may then pass into the room or back into the cnr or chair to operate in connection with the rollers C D E F According as thv )arson to n wrntc it muv be of the box A B 11s and for the )ur )oses Set forth. 111 the room or 111 suld cur or cl1a1r. Ehe above speclcatlon of my mventlon s1g11ed Having thus described my invention. I claim l by mc this 3d day 0f October, 1871. as 116W and desire to svcure by Lettcrs Patient- The cnr or chair F, wbcvls H L M, axles G J K,cxblc0rjci11tud connections l, bails c1' chains \Vt11esscs: N O, and rope or chain 1, constructed subsmn` tially ashcrein shown2111ddcscribcd,z111darranged GEORGE D. MCGULLEN.

J AMES T. GRAHAM, T. B. MOSHER. (79) 

